GUTEN TAG!
hello from Germany.
yesterday we took a 4 hour train from Paris that traveled through the north east of France to cross the border into Germany and arrive in Frankfurt. we were lucky to have our reserved seats inside a seperate room compartment on the train. i felt like i was in a movie. we had a door that that sectioned us off from the rest of the car and there were 3 other people in the compartment with us (one from Brazil and 2 from Germany). it was like having our own private train tour. which was lucky because the train became quite full as we stopped at various stations along the way to pick up more passengers (people were sitting in the corridors). there was also a bar car where you could get drinks and snacks.
the scenery along the way reminded me of the midwest in the States. very flat and a lot of agriculture. it was a lovely trip and i must say (as i have said before) i love to travel by train.
upon our arrival in Frankfurt our friends met us at the end of the platform.we recognized each other right away.it was so good to see them. it has been 13 years since we last saw them (when they came to the States) and about 10 years before that when we first met (thru an exchange program).
they drove us to their house in Bad Vilbel (a city of about 30,000 people, about 15 minutes away from Frankfurt on the freeway). we are staying in a basement apartment of a house owned by our friends, (and our friends live in a house next door). we had a lovely time last night catching up with each other. their English is very good, so we are having an easy time conversing.
after staying in a hotel for a week, this is really wonderful to be able to stay in a home and eat home cooked meals with a family. the photo is of our breakfast this morning (toast and bread with different cheeses and meats and spreads....and coffee).
this week we will get to experience what life is like for a typical German family and they will also be taking us around to do some sightseeing of a medieval town and castles and a boat trip up the Rhine River. and my friend has a friend who owns an art gallery and frame shop...so i`m going to be introduced and be able to talk art for a bit too.
my friends have a computer with internet access...so i will try to keep up on this blog throughout the week. my typing is slower though, as i am trying to get used to the German keyboard (some of the letters and symbols are in different places than a US keyboard).
